Beer: Reviews & Ratings

A: dark dark brown, pretty well black. Huge three finger head, Tight tan to light brown with tight small bubbles. Clear as black can be. Head dissipated slowly, lasts and stops at about a finger. S: dark fruit, some coffee, chocolate. Very toastyand roasty but not burnt. T: Classic porter....a bit tart with huge roasty flavors. Slight vanilla. Dark plum. Some stickiness and very slight sweetness in the finish.M: full rich mouthfeel, borderline light cream. Medium carbonation. Long last to the finish.O: not a huge porter fan, but this is very nice. Medium to low on the sticky-sweet-tartness that I'm not a fan of in most porters. Highly recommended. (717 characters)

This beer is a fairly complex and hoppy porter, with a touch of hops bitterness in both the scent and flavor. Dark malts also provide some bitterness and depth of flavor. A beautiful pour with a good head and lacing, yet is smooth and not as carbonated as the head would make it seem. Slight bits of chocolate flavor ans sweetness appear here and there. Overall, a very enjoyable and unique porter. (398 characters)

Finishing things off here at the VDubb household with another new porter (though the portery-ness of the I&G is still very much in question). This one pours a dark black-brown topped by a finger of burnt sienna foam. The nose comprises dark cocoa powder, roasted malts, mild treacle, light coffee, something that seems like brown sugar, and a bit of chocolate-covered orange peel. The taste brings in more of the same, though everything has an extra layer of toast, and there's a firm undercurrent of dank greens, tobacco, and candied orange peel. It's these additions that really ruin things for me, undermining and subverting the positivity of everything that came before it. I'm claiming over-hopping on this one. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda drying finish. Overall, a good porter that appears to suffer from a misguided zeal to overhop things. Shame, really, even if it doesn't completely destroy things. (1,013 characters)

Bottle poured into an English pub glass. An absolutely pitch black brew, maybe just a touch of muddy brown, with a decidedly impressive four fingers of mocha colored creamy head. Aroma is dark and roasted, black coffee, bittersweet chocolate, burnt almonds, and a little campfire ash with a subtle sweet top note. Palate largely mirrors this. This is a deep, dark, roasted porter with a sneaky citrus hop flavor lurking in the background and a whole heap of dark chocolate almond, coffee, and singed grain flavors out front. Quite smooth and creamy, although the resinous spicy notes will pop a little. Getting some ash, toasted nut, and strong tea in the dry finish. Overall impression is dry, roasted, minimal sweetness ... Perhaps just enough brown sugar to provide some balance and complexity. The roastiest of the Maine Beers I've sampled to date (which is most of them) and certainly a top tier porter, although my own preference swings toward the slightly sweeter "brown porter" style as opposed to the "robust" take. (1,028 characters)

Feel: Full body, tight fizzy carbonation, this time it fits like a fine Belgian ale.

Overall: I don’t know why I haven’t tried this before. This isn’t the "Buckets full of Hops" that M.B.C. are used to contributing to their beers. This is tasty and also walks the thin line of being an Imperial Porter. Don’t get me wrong about the hops. It doesn’t lack them either. Like a fine Belgian beer, the hops aren’t in for flavoring. They are used for the dryness of the flavor and bitterness to cut the sweetness ( which does a fine job at that). This beer is rock solid. I wish I had another bottle that is how much I enjoyed this beer. This is Recommended. (1,015 characters)

M: The body is a bit on the thin side for my tastes in this style. Low alcohol presence, and good carbonation sensation. 8/10

O: Good flavors that are very well-integrated. It isn't particularly full-bodied, but coupled with the restrained ABV it's an easy drink. A tasty porter for sure, not world-class. Recommended if you find it around for sure. 15.5/20

16.9oz (~500mL) bottle from benbking (thanks!). Bottled 2/25/14. Served in a goblet.

Pours a chestnut hued, deep, dark brown with a huge three and a half fingers of pale tan head. A nice cap remains and can be rejuvinated at any point with a quick swirl. Large sheets of chunky lace remain on the glass.

Aroma is slightly reminiscent of an America black ale with plenty of roasty malts and a piney hop presence. Also chocolate, milk, mild coffee and caramel.

Even at near six months old (with a note on the bottle indicating this should be consumed fresh) King Titus delivers a truly outstanding porter experience. Definitely a top three for me within the style and highly recommended. (1,096 characters)

Appearance: black bodied porter with medium brown head that slowely drops down to a thick, chunky, and uneven cap; leaving behind a heavy and thick lacing on the side of the glass. MBC always has great looking beers and this is no exception!

Taste: Light roasty malts and light meaty smoke striking a perfect balance at the same level of intensity. In the middle, mildly sweet milk chocolates with earthy flavors contributed by the hops. Peat moss and more light roast round things out. Finish has a mild bitterness from the hops and roasted malts that continues to build up as this beer opens up; nearing room temperature. Very, very nice flavor profile!

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Creamy, silky, and luxurious. Chewy, but not thick. This has a fantastic mouthfeel. Not a hint of ABV. Excellant!

Overall: Truth be told. Maine Brewing Company made a killer Porter when they brew King Titus! This is almost an exact replicate of HF Everett. The biggest difference between King Titus and Everett is when the beer warms up; Everett remains malty and roasty. While King Titus showcases a mild hoppy bitterness that balances nicely with the chocolate and roast malts. Everett edges out King Titus overall, but King titus is alot easier to aquire. So its a draw and you can go wrong with either Porter in my opinion. I have had many hoppy offerings from MBC and really enjoyed alot of them, but this is definately my favorite beer from MBC! Seek it out folks King Titus will not dissapoint you. (1,818 characters)

Taste - Hit right away with roasted malts and bitter cocoa followed nicely by the coffee bean, molasses, earthy hops, and dark fruits.

Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes with a pleasant bitterness from the cocoa and roasted malts with the earthy hops contributing to the bitterness.

Overall - A tasty American Porter with an excellent roasted malt and bitter cocoa profile with the hint of the earthy hops adding as a nice support unit in this brew. I admire the support that Maine Beer Company provides to a number of great causes. (738 characters)

Apparently, this bottle-conditioned porter is named after a gorilla (though, I am unaware that gorillas are native to the State of Maine). The intial pour results in a glass of beige foam; it slowly subsides into an impervious tar-color liquid. Once settled, there remains an inch of vanilla atop, forming a chunky crown of froth.

There is a subtle nose of vanilla and plum with mocking whiffs of cocoa. The palate is tickled by a semi-sweet malt basting with minimal hop undertones. There is some dusty chalk bites in the mouthfeel; these diminish in a dry fade.

A pleasant quaff for man or monkey. Now get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape! (656 characters)

A black with a deep cola edge, a big loose mocha head quickly falls to a finger and then sticks around for ages leaving partial rings deep down the glass

S coco powder, lots of char, bakers chocolate, faint licorice, the hops manage to shine through all the dark malt with a hint of citrus and spruce,

T more char, some burnt coffee comes through, still has a fair amount of hops for a beer with this much dark malt, lots of chocolate, great mix of dark and green stuff, no complaints here it tastes amazing

M leaning towards full, silky entry and creams up, bitter, just a little sticky on the lips, char with a hint of citrus lingers on the finish

O great use of hops in a dark beer, not lacking anywhere and worth looking for for sure

I didn't want to like this beer as much as I did, its just not fair that everything I've had from these guys so far has been awesome. I find it odd they put a BB date of 90 days on a strong porter but I guess the hops do play a major role. (1,026 characters)

A - Nice, milk chocolatey head from the bottle over a thick, pitch black porter. Very nice looking, almost timeless pour. Classic dark look.

S - Very creamy aroma of coffee and dark malts, a very thick smell if there ever was one.

T - Very brief note of hops, while a creamy coffee flavor takes over the palette. Chocolatey, but nothing over the top. Nothing too smoky, though a hint of bacon in there, which adds to the fullness. Really tasty.

M - Full bodied porter right here. It's got a thickness that hangs on your tongue, and I've used the term creamy about eighteen times already, so I think you get the point. It's good.

O - I'm a huge fan of Maine Beer Comapany, not necessarily the prices. This is a porter I would highly recommend to anyone. Cheers to King Titus, the silverback gorilla of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund... may he rest knowing he inspired this truly outrageous porter. (900 characters)

500ml bottle. Even their porter falls under the 'drink within 90 days' maxim? How hoppy is this gonna be?

This beer pours a solid, near abyssal black, with a faint basal brown cola band, and three flabby fingers of puffy, ebulliently foamy, and silken tan head, which leaves some chunky webbed lightning lace around the glass as it slowly recedes.

The bubbles are fairly soft, but supportive enough in their bearing, the body kind of on the light side of medium weight for the style, and mostly smooth, a sharpness arising as it warms - hard to tell if its origins are in the hops or booze. It finishes off-dry, the cocoa notes still up for a few more rounds, the caramel and coffee stumbling along, and the dryness from unseen hop, and slowly more visible alcohol on the upswing.

A pretty well-rounded, heady, and enjoyable American porter, the sweetness sublimated just enough to keep things on an even keel. I'm not quite sure where the freshness in such an offering comes into play - perhaps the hops that do their good work here behind the scenes, when too old, become overtly unpleasant and unworkable? Maybe, whatever, this is very drinkable right now, as urged, even with the 15-proof booze. (1,584 characters)

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick texture. There was a massive, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A nice aroma of chocolate, malt, and some light coffee notes.

T: Tasted of roasted malt, chocolate, a little coffee, a burnt quality, and hops in the finish. A very focused, well balanced flavor. No one ingredient is overpowering, allowing for a good drinking experience.

M: A fair amount of carbonation with a dry, bitter finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Like Maine's other beers, King Titus is a well made and tasty beer. Very much drinkable. (602 characters)

T- smooth dark chocolate, pine, and citrusy hops with grapefruit, salted caramel, coffee notes come forward but the beer as a whole is quite fruity and forward, cherries and toffee, some florals from the hops. It all comes together really nicely to yield a moderately bitter, mildly roasty, but deliciously complex porter.

M- quite a full porter, nice body, with a mild/moderate carbonation, bitter dark chocolate and smooth bitterness on the finish. Quite crisp, with a lingering toasty and pine character.

A full bodied and well hopped porter, with a great balance and depth of flavour. Assertive hop flavour blends well with the dark malt. Not much else to say than this is another really well put together beer, very drinkable with a satisfying and intriguing complexity. Nothing disappointing about this, outstanding hoppy porter. (1,178 characters)

The beer is near black with a thick, soapy, beige collar. The aroma brings beautiful roast character and milk chocolates. Chocolate forward with moderate bitterness in the back. Smooth on the palate with a zesty kick from the hops. A solid example of the style. My primary complaint with Maine Beer Co. is the price. $7 per 500 mL is too much to pay for porters, IPAs, pale ales and the like. (392 characters)